Archives for September 2011

Subtly Sweetened with Pixi Beauty Blush

September 19th, 2011 by Karen 16 Comments

With a name like Pixi, it’s gotta be sweet. Take these three new Beauty Blushes ($16 each). It’s like the mint green cases (complete with fairy logo), and the eminently agreeable pink and peach powders inside them, were specifically designed for that part of me that still, and always will, love girly things.

Sure, the price is a king’s ransom for a drugstore brand, but that’s not a big surprise. Pixi’s one of the “highest end” beauty lines available at Target. Still, $16 is getting close to a standard MAC blush.

At least Pixi wasn’t chintzy with the product. With these I feel like you do get more for your doubloons than usual for a drugstore brand blush, both in terms of quantity and quality. The packaging feels sturdier than most, and the blush itself is so soft that based on texture at least, I’d bet these could even pass for a pricier line like Shu.

My cheeks haven’t minded the nuanced effect I get with Healthiest Honey (the matte peachy brown), Purest Peach (the peachy pink with golden shimmer) and Perkiest Pink (the matte dainty pink), but ladies who long for lots of color might not be satisfied. These are all about pigment that’s faint and barely there.

Pixi Beauty Blushes from the left: Healthiest Honey, Perkiest Pink and Purest Peach

Swatches from the left: 1. Healthiest Honey, 2. Purest Peach and 3. Perkiest Pink
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Get Real (Looking): MAC Matchmaster Foundation Excels on Oily Skin

September 19th, 2011 by Karen 52 Comments

mac matchmaster foundation review

“Why, yes, Ryan Gosling, I am wearing something new. How nice of you to notice. It’s the new MAC Matchmaster Foundation ($32.50; available in 14 shades) in shade 5.0, and I’ve been wearing it for about a week…”

Okay, no, Ryan Gosling did not actually remark upon my makeup regimen, but I sure wish he had. I think he might find the technology behind MAC’s new liquid foundation almost as fascinating as I do.

Almost?

You see, it’s all about those spheres we talked about last week. For the new foundation, MAC encapsulated pigments in translucent spheres that they say allow Matchmaster to cover imperfections while still looking like real skin.

So does it work?

Well, that depends. Shade 5.0 definitely evens out my skin tone and covers everything I want it to cover, from the post-acne discoloring along my jawline (dang hormones have run amok!) to the light spots on my cheeks, but it doesn’t look completely natural to me.

I almost don’t even care, though, because of how much I love the lightweight feel and how long it keeps the shine on my forehead at bay (for hours). Unfortunately, I think it’s almost too good at washing out the natural variations in my skin tone and texture that would keep it looking real. I think my skin looks more natural when I wear Chanel Mat Lumiere, my current favorite foundation. With Matchmaker, I feel like I have to pay closer attention to my contouring with bronzer, lest my skin look totally flat.

It may have something to do with the shade I’ve been using… 5.0 isn’t a perfect match for me; it’s a little redder than my usual NC 42, but it was the closest shade I could find in the range to my skin.

I do notice that the reddish tones in 5.0 mellow out a bit after a few hours of wear and let through more of my natural skin tone, so maybe I just have to be a little more patient.

A few other notes…

No breakouts!

Knock on wood, but so far Matchmaker hasn’t triggered any breakouts on my combination oily/dry/acne-prone skin (read: generally fussy), so that’s a big plus.

Dry skin

Matchmaker doesn’t even flinch at oily skin, but it’s not as confident around the dry stuff. I can see it clinging to the few flakes I have on my cheeks.

Application

Almost like a gel. That’s how Matchmaker feels to me. It’s thicker than most liquid foundations and can apply a little streaky. I tried it a few different ways, and I think I got the most natural looking results when I applied it with a skunk brush and pressed it in with my fingers.

mac matchmaster foundation
From the left: 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0
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Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, Sept. 19

September 19th, 2011 by Karen 55 Comments

You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 186. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.

Mood:

A’ight. I could use a little more sleep (per usual). It’s supposed to be hot here today. Probably one of the last really hot days of the year, and I might try to sneak away to the pool for a few minutes this afternoon.

The most disorganized part of your makeup collection?

My eyeshadows. I’ve been meaning to depot them all and organize everything by color, but every time I set my mind to doing it I get sidetracked by something else.

Something that always cheers you up?

Watching Tabs while he sleeps. He’ll twitch and kick his little paws every once in a while, I presume while he’s dreaming about his former life as an outdoor kitty, chasing bugs, stalking lizards and lounging about in the sun.

When was the last time you “busted a move”?

Just last night, as a matter of fact. I was in the kitchen making tea and felt the rhythm hit me, so I belted out an improv version Planet Soul (“Set you free! Set you free!”).

Club moves make everything better.

Do you know how to fishtail braid your hair?

I do, but I haven’t worn it out in public in a zillion years.

What’s the least used product in your makeup collection?

Hmm… Probably face primer. I go through phases where one month I’m into it, next month I’m not. I haven’t been into it for a long while, though. I think I’ve just been too lazy to go that extra step.

One way in which you feel daring?

I guess in my ability to let my goofy side show. I mean it’s there, right? Why hide it? 🙂

How do you feel about jumpsuits?

Fine in concept (like the whole one-piece-outfit idea), but I haven’t found one that works well for me. Who makes a cute jumpsuit designed for short girls with a big bum? Anyone?

A habit you’d like to break?

To be less critical of myself. That’s been a tough one to break.

Weekly goals:

Basically to keep up the good work with my exercise routine and continue tracking my progress using that My Fitness Pal app on the iPhone (four pounds lost so far, yay!). This is also the last official week of summer, and I want to end the season on a high note. I’m not gonna let myself sweat any of the small stuff. That’s it. Done deal.

G’morning, friend! Are you, too, obsessed with Ryan Gosling? I am, and I’m beginning to wonder if we should start a support group.

Last night I spent an entire hour watching vids of him on YouTube (don’t tell El Hub!), and in that time I found this little gem from his Mickey Mouse Club days. Zip to the 1:32 mark for the real joy (extra points if you recognize the other dudes in the clip)…

Now that you’ve likely snorted your coffee through your nose, let’s move on to the Monday Poll, shall we?

To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.

1. Mood:
2. The most disorganized part of your makeup collection?
3. Something that always cheers you up?
4. The last time you busted a move?
5. Do you know how to fishtail braid your hair?
6. Least used product in your makeup collection?
7. One way in which you feel daring?
8. How do you feel about jumpsuits?
9. A habit you’d like to break?
10. Weekly goals:

We’re gonna have a great week, you and I. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

In the Backyard

September 19th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

Some random pics I took of my parents’ backyard over the weekend.

Even More Magic

September 18th, 2011 by Karen 3 Comments

Pixi All-Over Magic Powder in No. 3 Brightening Radiance, $24. Available now at Target stores.

Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 157

September 18th, 2011 by Karen 9 Comments

Tabs for the MAC Styledriven Collection

I thought today was going to be a mellow Sunday, but noooo. I got up this morning to find a long to-do list taped to my bathroom mirror, left by, none other than, Tabs. He leaves for Europe in a couple of days for his next round of Fashion Week shows, which means I have to take care of the last-minute details, like finding Tabs a new set of Louis Vuitton luggage, booking him an appointment for a deep conditioning fur treatment, and making sure the overseas team has the house on Lake Como prepped and ready for Tabs’ arrival after Fashion Week in Milan.

Yup, life’s tough when you’re an international plus-size kitty supermodel…

But seriously, Tabs has been keeping busy lately, and here are the most recent pics from his kitty modeling portfolio. 🙂

Tabs for the Guerlain Cat Tower

Tabs for the Benefit Clip-on Tabby Tie
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Carey Mulligan: Her Best Hair?

September 18th, 2011 by Karen 15 Comments

Wait — Carey Mulligan is British? I had no idea that Drive’s leading lady (two words: SEE IT!) hailed from across the pond until this morning, when I finally put two and two together and realized that she was the same gal who starred in An Education (94% on rottentomatoes), another movie I really enjoyed, despite it being way depressing.

Born Cary Hannah Mulligan on May 25, 1985, Carey would not take no for an answer when it came to her career. She was just a child when she took her older brother’s lead, performing in school plays after watching him in a production of The King and I. Her parents disapproved of her pursuing acting as a career and insisted she go to college instead. They hoped she’d outgrow the phase, but she was having none of that. After rejections from three drama schools, Carey wrote a letter to the headmistress of the school she was attending at the time and asked for help.

She explained how she didn’t want to attend college and asked the headmistress for a favor — an introduction to Julian Fellowes, an English actor, novelist and film director who she’d seen speak at the school. The headmistress obliged, and Fellowes then introduced Carey to the casting agent who helped her land the role of Kitty Bennett in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice alongside Keira Knightly.

That performance and a few more stints on TV and the stage lead to her breakthrough leading role as the 16-year-old Jenny in 2009’s An Education, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, an Academy Award and a Screen Actor’s Guild award.

At just 26, Carey has already worked with some big names in Hollywood — director Oliver Stone and actor Michael Douglass in last year’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and, of course my man Ry-Ry in Drive. She’s currently working with Leonardo DiCaprio on the upcoming film version of The Great Gatsby.

As for her hair, Carey likes to keep it short and loves to play with color.